1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to integrated circuits, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for providing optimal supply voltage to integrated circuits.
2. Related Art
Integrated circuits (ICs) are generally driven by supply voltages. Various components (e.g., transistors) in the ICs require the supply voltage during operation as is well known in the relevant arts.
It may be desirable to provide optimal supply voltage to ICs. As an illustration, a high supply voltage generally leads to low propagation delays which may be useful in increasing the throughput performance of an IC. However, a substantially higher supply voltage may lead to unusability of ICs due to gate oxide layer failure, etc.
On the other hand, a low supply voltage minimizes such failures, but could lead to high propagation delay (and a correspondingly slower speed of operation) in the operation of an IC.
At least for such reasons, there is a recognised need to adjust the supply voltage dynamically during the operation of an integrated circuit.